Spanish Man Arrested for Plotting Columbine-Inspired Massacre

Spanish police arrested a man who purchased more than 300 pounds of explosives as part of a plan to imitate 1999 Columbine school killings.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

First Publish: 10/4/2012, 7:03 PM

police arrest (illustrative)

Reuters

Spanish police arrested a man who purchased more than 300 pounds of explosive materials as part of a plan to imitate the 1999 Columbine school killings.

Police arrested the 21-year old man, who has only been identified by his initials J.M.M.S., in Palma de Mallorca, not far from the University of the Balearic Islands, where he planned his attack.

Police said they found his personal diary, in which he wrote of his admiration for the perpetrators of the Columbine attacks, his disdain for society and how he planned to imitate the killings.

"He showed a hatred for society, especially for university students, and his decision to strategically place pipe bombs filled with shrapnel on the university campus," the police statement said, according to CNN.

Twelve students and one teacher were killed in the Colorado school attack. The two perpetrators then killed themselves.

The suspect sought to acquire weapons illegally and later applied for a license to posses them legally. His application was rejected.

He then opted for ordering explosive materials through the Internet and was arrested Wednesday morning as the material was being delivered to his house.

The suspect reportedly knew how to make bombs, described his interest in weapons, shared the same taste in music as the Columbine killers, and mentioned that "social isolation” led him to plan the attack.